Upper St. Clair School District Prepares For 15 Teacher Retirements

Upper St. Clair School District Superintendent Patrick O'Toole announced that 15 teachers will retire at the end of the year.

The retirements come from the follow disciplines, according to a list provided during Monday's school board meeting:

• 1 K-12 curriculum leader (.5)/teacher (music)
• 1 elementary curriculum leader/teacher
• 1 elementary curriculum leader (.5)/teacher (art)
• 1 department chair and elementary librarian
• 2 elementary teachers
• 1 elementary physical education teacher
• 1 elementary resource teacher
• 1 elementary/special education teacher
• 1 middle school art teacher
• 1 middle school guidance counselor/teacher
• 1 middle school librarian
• 1 middle school nurse
• 1 high school math teacher
• 1 high school resource teacher

O'Toole said administration will be evaluating each position to see if they can reconfigure staff so the positions do not have to be replaced.

"It gets harder each year," O'Toole said.

Other attritional cuts happened in the last two years.

"These retirements will make a significant impact on our school district and the culture of our district," O'Toole said. "The last day of school is going to be a very sad day."

In addition, Boyce Middle School Principal Karen Brown will retire, as did two other teachers mid-year.

In other personnel news, Boyce Middle will be in need of an additional staff member due to a large fourth grade class, O'Toole said. Administrators are examining whether they can move an elementary school teacher to the middle school level or not.

Also, a grant that had been paying for a long-term biology substitute at the high school will expire. The position will have to be converted to a "regular teacher," according to O'Toole.

Additional security personnel will be added next year following the tragedy in Newtown, CT.